A major new study shows that political polarization is mainly a right-wing phenomenon. Sean Illing interviews Pippa Norris on how Trump's populist appeal is about culture, not the economy. The all-male photo op isn't a gaffe — it's a strategy. A new poll on Trump's "wiretapping" shows how easily he can spread misinformation. Jeremy Adam Smith on how the science of "blue lies" may explain Trump's support: They're a very particular form of deception that can build solidarity within groups. Why lying is so easy for Trump: For New York developers, blatant deception isn't just good for business — it's completely legal.

Federico Luisetti (UNC): Decolonizing Gaia: Or, Why the Savages Shall Fear Bruno Latour’s Political Animism. Orban, prime minister of Hungary, threatens to shut down Central European University. Black women at work hashtag goes viral after Maxine Waters was attacked by Bill O’Reilly. Morgan Jenkins on how America fails black girls. Russia’s infamous “troll factory” is now posing as a media empire. Allegra Kirkland on everything we learned about the Senate Intel Committee’s Russia probe. Mark V. Tushnet on his (and Alan Chen’s and Joseph Blocher’s) book Free Speech Beyond Words: The Surprising Reach of the First Amendment. If everything can be “weaponized”, what should we fear? We risk obscuring real sources of violence when a tweet can be considered a tool of war.